Validating a fertilizer recommendation across a diverse cropping environment

Abstract

One of the major objectives of on-farm research is to test and refine recommendations coming from controlled research conditions to suit the variable conditions met under farmer circumstances. In developing countries, resources available for agricultural research are limiting. Therefore the challenge is to develop methodologies favouring resource–use efficiency and facilitating relatively fast results. At the same time researchers must take advantage of a high level of farmer participation and sample environmental variables suspected of affecting the technology's performance. In this context, ways in which to deal with variability, both in terms of environment as well as in farmer management, become important. To present lessons learned, this case study describes first relevant aspects of the farming system, a brief history of the problem and the resulting experimental program. For illustration purposes, one year of data is presented in detail. This came from a farmer-implemented, farmer-managed test on urea use (30 kg/ha nitrogen) in rice cultivation based on water harvesting.